OBI Dweller Review and Discussion

[USMCBladerunner]

Hello, wouldn't the controller on the zamp shut down automatically when it senses enough battery charge. ? Because the zamp would be directly wired into the batteries. '

Thx

I didn't realize your panels have an onboard controller... You should be fine plugging into that Anderson plug on the tongue...it sounds like the connector isn't quite right...

 

[S J]

First, there are definitely a few solar gurus around here, but I'm not one of them. I'm learning as I go, just like you. I had a Zamp panel for my previous trailer, and it was wired backwards from the rest of the universe (I think it's a Zamp thing). I had installed an SAE connection in the wall of the trailer that went straight to the battery terminals, and had to get a little adapter that switched the polarity of the connection from the Zamp. Something to consider, but not guaranteeing that solves the problem.

If your panel has a controller with it, you don't need to run the wiring through your trailer's solar controller. Someone else that had the Anderson plug wired said it isn't going through the solar controller; it's going directly to the battery bus (connection hub for all your battery wiring). So getting that connection to work would be the right solution if you panel has the controller.

As for terminal connections with a battery bank, the bus would be the ideal place to make that connection, not directly to any of the batteries. That direct battery will charge faster than the other two. In a parallel wiring of the batteries, you could theoretically connect to the positive of battery 1 and the negative of battery 3 so the charge is running through the whole bank, but I think that would be less efficient than connecting directly to the bus. Someone else can weigh in on that; I'm not certain. Also, I would use an SAE type plug since you already have the connectors for your Zamp panel. You still probably want the polarity adapter.

Gel, AGM, Flooded, VRLA. My understanding is the settings are within tolerance of one another. You're correct that Li is the standout. But check the Renogy manual to be certain. When I swapped from AGM to Flooded (before I went to Li), I did update my settings, but I don't know that it was really necessary. It's worth the 2 minutes it takes to fix it, though. If VRLA isn't an option, just google what you should use or reach out to Renogy; their customer service is pretty good.

Lastly, as for the inverter in storage, yes, I would turn it off, unless you're keeping the trailer plugged in to charge in storage. Then you'll need to have the MAIN breaker on, and the charger/inverter turned on as well. The battery disconnect by the door is to disconnect the main relay (controls the fridge, Trumi, all lights, all USB/12V outlets, awning, fans, TV/DVD, etc.). The only things that are NOT going through the main relay that run on DC power (to my knowledge) are the propane/CO detector and the toilet flush, but I can't remember for sure about the latter. The inverter/charger is on the other "side" of that disconnect so you can still charge the batteries without the relay having power.

Keep asking questions, and we'll do our best to answer them.

Thank you ! I figured out the anderson charging problem. There is this disconnect under the bed that was turned off. Lol. I spoke with a local rv solar installer and he mentioned there might be one and sure enough there was. Now it works like a champ.

 

[S J]

I didn't realize your panels have an onboard controller... You should be fine plugging into that Anderson plug on the tongue...it sounds like the connector isn't quite right...

Funny, I spoke with a local rv solar guy yesterday and he mentioned there might be some sort of a disconnect under the bed area. Sure enough there was. It works great. This site has been really helpful. The Zamp connectors are backwards for some reason. Maybe its just their thing to be different, who knows.

 

[marmotguy]

I see more and more people here and on the FB group are pulling their Dwellers with mid-size SUVs and pickups.

Wow! Thanks for this detailed info. Your Jeep Grand Cherokee looks to have similar specs as my Colorado, so this certainly has me thinking I need to move up to at least a 1/2 ton. That's too bad, as I really like the mid-size trucks for driving in the city an on tight trails.

 

[Treefarmer1]

They are rated for close to 2,000 lbs each. That is in the straight up and down position of course. That should easily handle a Dweller. They do lose capability quickly if at an angle other than 90 degrees, so keep that in mind if you are raising only one side or the other.

 

[Treefarmer1]

This makes 3 of us now! I love my DO35! Favorite mod by far!

I'm curious too. We've been using the McHitch for about 3,000 miles now. It's been easy to use and is solid (so far). Did you all have problems with the McHitch or are their some superior features to the D035? We're always snooping around for upgrades.

 

[rehammer81]

I'm curious too. We've been using the McHitch for about 3,000 miles now. It's been easy to use and is solid (so far). Did you all have problems with the McHitch or are their some superior features to the D035? We're always snooping around for upgrades.

From the little bit I have gathered, there is some belief that the way the McHitch supports weight is not ideal. Weight kind of supported out on a lever. I have seen some people report that this leverage can make disconnecting difficult but I have no first hand experience. You guys would be a prime user experience with your larger rig and higher tongue weight.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[Treefarmer1]

From the little bit I have gathered, there is some belief that the way the McHitch supports weight is not ideal. Weight kind of supported out on a lever. I have seen some people report that this leverage can make disconnecting difficult but I have no first hand experience. You guys would be a prime user experience with your larger rig and higher tongue weight.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

It definitely likes to be level when disconnecting and hooking up. A little bit off and it can be a challenge.

 

[FordGuy1]

From the little bit I have gathered, there is some belief that the way the McHitch supports weight is not ideal. Weight kind of supported out on a lever. I have seen some people report that this leverage can make disconnecting difficult but I have no first hand experience. You guys would be a prime user experience with your larger rig and higher tongue weight.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

I have been using this hitch for about 10 months. It does not seem to give me any trouble at all. Once you figure out the method, it connects very easy.

 

[bjammin101]

Hello all,

I would like to write my experience (first experience with any camper) with the Dweller 15 as a new owner from Houston Texas. My wife and I, plus 3 dogs, drove to Arizona to purchase our D15 because it was about $10k less than what I had been seeing everyone else sell it for on RV Trader and we had already looked at a D15 at a normal RV Dealer. It was also a 2023 model instead of one of the 22's that had been sitting around for a while. We picked up the camper on June 17th in Mesa, AZ and had already booked our first 3 parks to stay at on the way home. However, our first stop was Costco to stock up on some food, etc.

Next stop, Lost Dutchman State Park. Now, the two main reasons to get the camper were for AC and a shower. However, AC cannot keep up with 110 degree direct heat. I think on the peak of our first full day we decided to come inside but it reached around 93 on the inteior and we decided it was time to go drive around and do some shopping back in Mesa until it was getting into the early evening. We also had 3 small dogs with us so we had to be careful with them as well. (We ended up at Home Depot and pushed them around in two shopping carts to stay cool). It was beautiful here and our campsite was great. I would reccomend it if it's not the middle of summer in your D15.

Second Campsite was Bluewater Lake State Park in NM. This was amazing and the elevation gave us great weather. We actually ended up booking an extra night since we had only intended to stay two nights at each stop. On our extended night we had to change sites to somewhere without water or electric connections which ended up being fine because the weather was so great. Our only issue was we didnt know how to use the water out of both tanks. We found out later there was just the knob under the bed that you had to turn.

Last campsite was back in Texas but it was amazingly hot again and we ended up cutting our trip short at that park because of the heat and the dogs being with us. Plus the lake was low and didnt want to try to venture out into it.

The 4th of July we also went to Lake Sommerville State park which was a close drive for us at around 1.5 hours. We had a great time here with the dogs and they enjoyed the lake even though it was a bit low. We also came prepared with an EXTRA 14k BTU AC unit and put it inside with the exhaust hose blowing out one of the top zip down windows. I wish I had taken a picture of this since it was pretty thrown together. It was also hot here but we had partial shade which helped with keeping the camper cool until the sun was directly overhead. Once the sun was overhead the temps started rising, not even the extra AC and the camper AC could keep up. I believe we still saw 85 inside the camper during the peak part of the day. Needless to say, there is a lack of insulation in this trailer and I thought we could manage this a little better. As a side note, we had run the electrical cord for the portable AC out to the electrical hook-ups so we didnt trip the breaker box so we had an electrical cord running out the door the whole time. This did create a very minor gap when the door was shut but not enough to let much air out. The door would still lock completely. Also, the ICECO cooler also has trouble keeping the set temps in hot weather. If we did not have the cooler pulled out for air flow without direct sunlight, it would freeze on one side and warm up on the other. This happened in Arizona and Texas. Typically during travel it wasnt a big issue because I think it was getting enough airflow from moving. (yes we also had the little fan inside the compartment on the entire time as well)

Tow rig: 2020 RAM 1500 4x4 5.7 non E-torq with ORP and Heavy 34.5" Load range E tires
- MPG 10-11 without much wind or with tailwind (65-70 MPH)
- MPG 8-9 with heavy wind in North Texas doing 65 MPH

Lessons from the first 4 stays in the Dweller:
- If in hot weather, make sure you will have shade if you plan to stay cool. On our next trip, I am going to attempt a sun shade with tent poles and rope on the next trip out
- Buy "Misto" fan from Costco. This was a life saver
- I would max out at 70 mph typically because sway would be set off very easily. 65 mph was much more comfortable. I did try multiple things with water in the front tank and taking the rear tires off the back. I learned to use the trailer break controller a lot and that you really dont want to go above 70mph unless you have everything dialed in or you like white knuckling it. I think I will do a shock upgrade in the future at some point
- I did about bend in half the included breaker bar trying to get the lugs off the back to remove the tires. Some were far too tight... I had to wait until we got back to Texas to get it off.
- there is tons of storage in the D15 which was great
- I never got the hot water to work which meant for some shorter showers. Still need to figure out what is wrong there. (kept getting an error on the control panel)
- the bed was great since the dogs sleep in the bed with us and a king is a must
- I had never used a casette toiler before and it was easy to use and nice to be able to throw in the back of the truck and take to the dump station
- Get some "LEVERLOC" suction cup accessories to hang stuff. These things were perfect for hanging towels and putting toiletries in
- Get a mattress protector. Luckily I had thought of this and had one but one of the dogs did end up peeing in the bed and we didnt have an extra change of sheets. This was the last night of staying in the camper which was another nail in the coffin to end that trip.
- buy the "over the tank toilet paper holder" from Amazon as seen on ROA
- get bungee cords to hold the cooler instead of those stupid straps

I probably have more info but that's enough for this post!

 

[marmotguy]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with the Dweller 15 with us. ROA did a video about the sway issue not too long ago. They modified the trailer so that they remove the spare tires and supports from the rear and relocated one of the tires behind the box on the tongue. They had to move the box up in order to fit the tire in behind them. They didn't mention whether or not they had water in the tanks. But regardless, they claim that it solved the sway issue even at higher speeds.

 

[bjammin101]

Thank you both. It would be great to learn how to improve the electrical system and eventually make the AC run off battery power. Maybe one day but I am no electrician. I see a lot of good things about Victron so maybe one day. I woud like to have that Garmin system from Pause....

@CowboyKyle - We are going to Concan for labor day week and I will try my camper shade idea to see how that works during the day. I will let everyone know how that goes. But yes, at night with 2 AC units going, that was more than enough to freeze us out.

 

[WillySwan]

Installed a Renogy DC DC charger and swapped to some cheap lithium. I'm about 80% pleased with my install (safe and effective, less than perfect). And 50% pleased with the Renogy products. It's better than when I started, but...

This is on my list of projects for this fall.

No criticisms at all, but some questions:

1. I am assuming that your Dweller , like mine, did not come with an Anderson connector at the tongue. Can you provide specifics on the green wire you ran, wire gauge, etc.? I am guessing it is a sheathed with 12V+ and 12V-?
2. Did you also run the Anderson connector wiring in your F250? Did you run both 12V+ and 12V- directly from the battery?
3. What is your 50% displeasure with the Renogy products?

 

[BernieMulcahy]

Regarding the A/C not cooling very well. Have you tried keeping the top down? I wonder how much heat is coming through the canvas sides of the top. Not as much room with the top down, but would probably help. This coming from a D13 owner with no need for bunks.

 

[gendlert]

Yes, putting the top down is the only way to achieve your maximum of 10° delta from outside temps.

Putting the top down is also the only way to ensure you smash your head on one of the 42 introduced obstacles (though the pool noodle on the lift bar is a good call). Texas is in need of some mountains. 9k ft of elevation helps the AC issue a lot.